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Tableau Descriptions

To provide recommendations on using descriptions for Tableau projects, data sources, workbooks, and calculations. 

Descriptions in Tableau are used to leave information about projects, data sources, and workbooks for end users. Additionally, they are ingested as metadata into Ohio State’s data catalog tool. Users may easily identify the reports or access they need. 

Descriptions should answer a couple of questions; who the audience is, what information is contained, and how it should be used. It is recommended to follow a consistent approach that answers those questions in each description you write. 

Description Questions to Consider and Sample Templates

Projects

Questions to Consider:

  • What is the purpose of the project?
  • Are contents for a specific audience or are they about a certain topic?
  • Who has access to the project?
  • How is access granted?
  • What types of content belong in the project?
  • Who creates objects for this project?

Sample Template

  • This project contains information pertaining to ____ and is intended for use by ____. Access is secured by the ____ group. 

Data Sources

Questions to Consider 

  • What is the underlying system or source of the data?
  • Is it joined with other data?
  • Have any transformations, such as calculations been performed?
  • Have any data source filters been applied?
  • What is the level of granularity?
  • When is the data available?
  • Who has access to the data? How is access granted?
  • If there are questions, who is the subject matter expert?

Sample Template

  • This data is sourced from ____ and is joined with data from ____. Each record represents ____. It updated on a ____ basis. For questions, please reach out to ____. 

Workbooks

Questions to Consider

  • What is the purpose of the workbook?
  • What questions does the content attempt to answer?
  • How should users utilize the content?
  • Who should use the workbook?
  • Are there any caveats when using the views?
  • Have any filters been applied across the entire workbook?
  • If data sources are embedded in the workbook, consider including relevant information from the data source description. 

Sample Template

  • This workbook was developed to answer questions about ____ and is intended for use by ____. For questions, please reach out to ____. 

Calculations

Questions to Consider

  • What is the purpose of the calculation?
  • Is it a base calculation (meaning it’s referenced in other calculations) or is it dependent on other calculations?
  • What type of calculation is it? For example, is it a table calculation or LOD expression or parameter based?
  • Are there limitations? How does it handle nulls, division by zero, or incomplete data?
  • Where is it used?

Sample Template

  • Calculates the _____ of _____ to help _____. The formula is _____. 

Important Information